Ski-tow apparatus



T. c. cooKE 2,079,491

SKI TOW APPARATUS Filed Dec. 23, 1936 ATTORNEY Patented May 4, 1937 um'rso stares PATENT or ies 2,079,491 ski-Tow APPARATUS Theodore Q. Cooke, dwampscott, Mass.

Application December 23, 1936, Serial No. 117,327

9Claims.

This invention relates to improved ski-tow apparatus, and has for its object to provide a skitow whereby ski-riders may be expeditiously and safely pulled up slopes.

Heretofore various sorts of ski-tows that have been used have involved a primary mover driving a tow-rope extending up a slope with hold-on devices permanently afilxed to the tow-rope at intervals, but most ski-tows heretofore have required that the ski-riders hold on to the rope simply by their hands and such ski-tows have not proved very satisfactory, particularly when the tow-rope is slippery. By means of this invention, however, an eflective and convenient hold-on device is provided which, in combination with an ordinary fibrous tow-rope, provides under all conditions an effective gripping means so that ski-riders can quickly and readily apply or 're move the same as required and be pulled up slopes preparatory to sliding down. The removal of the hold-on device is so easily accomplished as to render .safe its use even by the young, and if necessary, for any reason, the hold-on device can simply be released and no harm can come either to the user or to the apparatus.

The present invention involves a prime'mover and pulley means arranged and adapted to ten-' sion and drive a tow-rope, together with a novel form of hold-on device as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the complete apparatus in use towing ski-riders up a s ope;

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a sh holdon device in place and gripping a tensioned towrope; v

' Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the hold-on device without the tow-rope; and

. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of. the hold-on device showing a tow-rope in cross-section.

Referring to the drawing in which like numerals represent like parts:

\ The preferred form of apparatus involves a prime mover 2 (here shown as an electric motor though any suitable one may be substituted) driving through gears 4 a shaft 6 carryingand driving a tow-rope l by means of a driving drum (Cl. Ida-202) the ascending or working flight and the upper or return flight down the slope to the bottom station. The hold-on devices, generally designated 39. ape employed by ski-holders 20 to firmly grip the tow-rope l and enable the ski-riders to be drawn up the slope at the rate of movement of the ascending flight of tow-rope i.

The hold-on devices include a handle por- I tion 22 amxed to a shank portion 24 which conmeets two oppositely facing hook-members 26 which, in the preferred form as shown, extend from oppositev ends of the shank or connecting portion and at substantially right angles to the axis of said shank or connecting portion 2 8, being oriented at approximately about the axis thereof as best shown in Fig. 4. In order not bottom in the hook but, instead, contacts at two circumferentially separated areas. In this way, the bite of each hook 26 appears to be more effective, particularly when the user places the same on the tow-rope by first putting the handle more or less aligned with the tow-rope, thus bringing the plane of each hook approximately parallel to the axis of the tow-rope, and then, by an arcuate movement of the handle 22 moving the handle to a position transversely of the towrope in a direction in general opposite to the axis of the tow-rope so that one hook pushes into the tensioned tow-rope and the other pulls to kink and hip on opposite sides a short length of the tensioned. tow-rope between said hook-members, thereby firmly gripping the same so as to enable a ski-rider to easily hold on and ride up the slope. Upon approaching the upper end of the ski-tow, each ski-rider 20, by a quick forward movement of the handle, releases it from the rope and descends the slope, usually carrying the hold-on device in his pocket met his beltwhere it may be conveniently carried.

In the preferred form oi device as shown, the

v hollow handle is somewhat curved so that despite variations in thetension of the rope and/or pull of the rider with consequent variations in the angular relation of the handle, the rider will, as

a practical matter, always have some part of the handle normal to the axis oi the flight of the tow-rope and hence also normal to his pull. This avoids any tendency for the riders hands to. slip relative to the handle and makes it easier for him to hold on to.

Having described my invention, what I wish to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A ski-tow apparatus comprising a powerdriven endless tow-rope and hold-on devices therefor, each of said devices having an elongated handle and a shank having rigid angular hook-members projecting forwardly from the ends thereof, said membersadapted to be placed in removable engagement with said tow-rope at opposite sides thereof and to bend the tow-rope whereby to lock the handle thereto when the shank portion is held in resistance to the motion of the tow-rope.

2. A ski-tow apparatus comprising a powerdriven endless tow-rope and hold-on devices therefor, each of said devices having an e1ongated handle and a shank having rigid angular hook-members projecting at substantially right angles forwardly from the ends thereof and at substantially right angles to each other, said members adapted to be placed in removable engagement with said tow-rope at opposite sides thereof and to bend the tow-rope whereby to lock the handle thereto when the shank portion is held in resistance to the motion of the tow-rope.

3. In ski-tow apparatus, in combination, an endless tow-rope, a prime mover and pulley means arranged and adapted to tension'and to drive said tow-rope to provide continuous movement and return thereof, a series of ski-tow hold on devices adapted to be removably held on the ascending flight of said tow-rope by means of pressure applied by ski-ridersin a direction generally opposite to the movement of said rope, each device comprising oppositely facing members with each said member providing a towrope contacting portion and encompassing a substantial portion of the circumference of the rope so as-together to circumferentially sufliciently surround therope on opposite sides thereof to prevent accidental escape by a relative radial movement thereof, a connecting portion rigidly holding said members in fixed relative position along a tow-rope extendingtherebetween and spaced apart a distance at least equal to the diameter of the tow-rope, and a relatively long handle portion extending sidewise from said con- I necting portion whereby pressure applied transversely of said handle portion kinks and nips on opposite sides the rope between said members and thereby firmly grips the same.

4. As a'new article of manufacture, a ski-tow hold-on device having, in combination, an elongated handle, a shank portion having two rigid angular hook-members projecting forwardly from an endwthereof, said members adapted to be removably hooked about opposite sides of a' skitow rope and to be-forced in opposite directions against said tow-rope by lateral pressure applied to said handle, whereby to bend said tow-rope and lock said handle thereto.

5. As a new article of manufacture, aski-tow I hold-ondevice having, in combination, an elongated handle, a shank portion having two rigid,

spaced, oppositely-disposed hooks projecting forwardly therefrom for grlppinga ski-tow rope, said hooks being adapted to be loosely fitted about I opposite sides of a ski-tow rope when the shank portion is held at right angles to said tow-rope,

and to be forced in opposite directions into gripping engagement with said tow-rope by an armate movement of the shank portion.

6. A ski-tow hold-on device comprising oppositely facing members each providing a tow-rope contacting portion and encompassing a substantial portion of the circumference of the rope so as'together to circumferentially sufficiently surround the rope on opposite sides thereof to prevent accidental escape by a relative radial movement thereof, a connecting portion rigidly holding said members in fixed relative position along a tow-rope extending therebetween and spaced apart a distance at least equal to the diameter of the tow-rope, and a relatively long handle portion extending sidewise from said connecting portion whereby pressure applied transversely of said handle portion kinks and nips on opposite sides the tensioned rope between said members and thereby firmly grips the same.

7. A ski-tow hold-0n device comprising oppositely facing hook-members each providing a towrope contacting portion and encompassing a substantial portion of the circumference of the rope so as together to circumferentially suficientlysurround the rope to prevent accidental escape by a, relative radial movement thereof, a connecting portion rigidly holding said members in fixed relative position along a tow-rope extending of which provides a reentrant angular, disc0n-' tinuous rope-gripping means with each member adapted to encompass not to exceed half the circumference of a tow-rope and with each member contacting two circumferentially separated portions, a connecting portion rigidly holding said members in fixed relative position to provide an unobstructed space therebetween and with said members'for the reception of a tow-rope, and a relatively long handle portion extending sidewise from said connecting portion whereby pressure applied transversely of said handle portion nips the rope between said bent members to prevent the escape of and grip a tensioned rope extending therebetween. I

9. A ski-tow hold-on device comprising two oppositely facing members each providing a towrope contacting portion and encompassing approximately half of the circumference of the rope so as together to surround a tow-rope and prevent the accidentalv escape thereof, a connecting portion integral with and rigidly holding said members in fixed relative position to provide an unobstructed space therebetween for the reception of a tow-rope, and a relatively long handle portion extending sidewise from said connecting portion whereby pressure applied transversely of said handle portion nips the rope between said bent members to grip a tensioned rope extending therebetween and oppositely applied pressure frees the rope.

THEODORE C. COOKE. 

